Not to buZZsaw BRAD summertime hoarding thread anymore... He asked if we had any beech on our place. I was down in our woods today and thought I'd share a few pictures... This one blew over during Hurricane Helene, it's still putting out green leaves now, but will be turned into farwood eventually Several "sons" in the area, along with American Holly... One of the "daddy" trees... I put my cap on a stick for size reference... My dad helped me carve my initials in it when I was about 12 yrs old. I think is says "TJV 74" Another "daddy" tree in the area...
I know a few guys who say they don't like beech. Wow. I'd be very happy if I had beech on my place that looked like that. All of mine are young and those trees grow slow.
Our young trees grow fast, then slow down. I should have taken a picture of the one one the corner of that woods road, I remember when it was a little sapling, it's bigger than a dinner plate now.
Mine always seem to succumb to rot before they get that big. I do have some bigguns but I don't think any that size. My distaste for beech comes from the splitting portion of processing. Always seems to have twisty grain. Blocking is the only legit market here for them, so they are kind of considered a trash tree, economically. I don't like to see a bunch in my woods because it denotes 3rd succession forest growth. I like 2nd succession forests....oak/hickory here. Once the beech is established it will shade out all the desirable species except maples.
I feel same about some elm (it can also be sparky) but most hedge row tree or edge of field trees have twisted tendency. Then it goes to dry time relative to BTU and Beech does well. Beech also provides nuts for deer and turkeys
The parent tree can get rather large and yours is quite the specimen. Reminds me of some of the beech groves in my woods. Sadly the beech bark and beech leaf disease have affected ours greatly. All sizes from small trees to the big twin on the edge of the driveway who's leaves turned brown over the Summer and died. Medium size standing dead on the edge of the yard i've been meaning to fell for a couple years. Haven't taken a walk in my woods this year. I should go take a look. Maybe this weekend. How often do you harvest from your woods Jeff?
After splitting the beech from my recent score I can agree. It was stringy and had some wavy grain. Thinking back its the most I've scored at once although I was working a monster beech trunk a couple years back. Cut 2-3 loads from it. 40" stump. Roadside find. Ill take sugar maple over beech and either over oak. Most FHCers know I shy away from oak due to the long drying time. Sugar maple very common in these parts.
Yes the "shelf life" isn't that good once down. Sadly once down it isn't really salvageable for the most part. Punk on one side, meat good on the other on the big limbs I had scrounged in my woods. Victims of the beech bark disease.
We haven't purposely cut from our woods since 2001, when dad was living. We cut off our place to supply his furniture shop and their house, we started burning in 1996 when we got our home. Other house before was gas furnace. We do cut fallen trees on our place now though. The area where this feeder is needs thinning, there's a couple small sweet gum, 2 cherry, several holly trees that need to go. Make better shooting lanes and give more room for the small white oaks to grow...it's been in the plans for a couple years now...
